


find you in the cracks between stars

by hwanglix



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boys Kissing, Changlix if you squint, Kim Seungmin-centric, LMAO, M/M, Meet-Cute, Parties, author has an obsession with stars and other celestial bodies, cried while writing this, fast friendship and even faster romance, felix and seungmin are besties, i did not plan for this to be so romantic but here we are, if you dont want a slow burn you are in the right place, many many mentions of haikyuu, seungmin weeb, yeonbin if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwanglix/pseuds/hwanglix
Summary: seungmin loses himself in the pages of books, he never plans to lose himself in the depth of hyunjins eyes.or; seungmin attends a party with his friends, and without realizing it, tells hyunjin his party sucks to his face. after that, its all history.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 32
Kudos: 231
Collections: EQUINOX





	find you in the cracks between stars

**Author's Note:**

> based off prompt #81, and made into my own! i hope you like it and meets your expectations prompter~!
> 
> i've had a love-hate relationship with this fic while writing it, so finishing it was rather bittersweet. though i am extremely proud with how far this fic has come as i was so frustrated with it half the time i just refused to write it lol. in the end, i ended up really loving it, so i hope you do too!
> 
> big thanks to my girl gg, she played a big part in helping this fic come together. plus please give her a hug for having to deal with my grammar and tense mistakes. and thank you to all my friends who betaed! you the bomb.
> 
> OH i also have a playlist that you can find [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7l75X3P5qppfz6KBm7XqvE?si=t9FgdPxgQ_CLUOVpQszQuw) :D
> 
> enjoy~

Seungmin turns the page of his manga, the worn feeling of the paper smooth against the pads of his fingers. Tapping idly on the broken spine of the manga, Seungmin wiggles in his seat, getting more comfortable with the blanket around his shoulders. 

Today had been exhausting for him, but that was a given for any criminal justice major. Now, he finally got his break, wrapped up in his favorite blanket, on his favorite spot on the couch, rereading his favorite volume of Haikyuu. 

Times like this, when he could lose himself in a story were his favorites. And after his busy day, he felt like he deserved it. 

His day had been pretty full. It had started off nice, one of his professors excused them from class early so he was able to get a head start on writing an essay for his psychology class and study his notes from his theories in crime class. Though, by the time he got to his law 101 class, his professor gave them a pop quiz with 100 questions on the laws they had been studying that semester. He was severely unprepared, and the anxiety of knowing he didn't do well but not knowing his score had impacted him for the rest of his classes. 

By his last class, he had calmed down, knowing that no matter what he got, he would accept it and work to be better in the future. His last class ended early and he was able to get another head start on his school work. He had finished it all and had finished studying just ten minutes prior, and now, he could finally relax. 

So Seungmin let himself lose himself in the pages of Haikyuu. The familiarity of the paper on his fingers when he turned a page was comforting, and the smooth surface of the manga quelled the tension throughout his body. It was so serene, so comforting, so relaxing-

“Seungmin!” The door to his dorm swings open, banging against the wall and rattling the pictures and decorations hanging. Seungmin barely reacts, used to his roommate, and his theatrics. Seungmin groans, his head falling forward and onto the pages of his book causing the front of his glasses to dig uncomfortably into the bridge of his nose. 

“Seungmin! My classes finally ended! I really thought professor Oh was going to keep us even later but he finally let us out when Chaeryeong threatened to walk out,” Felix, one of his two roommates, walks into their dorm, letting his bookbag fall haphazardly to the floor with a thud, and into the living room towards Seungmin. 

“Hey Lix,” Seungmin lifts his face from his book and turns a little to watch Felix plop down beside him on the couch. Felix grins at him, head falling back to rest on the back of the couch with a content sigh. 

Felix was a transfer student from Australia who'd started at their school that year and planned to complete his education in South Korea. Felix had been studying chemistry at his old school, to his parents' wishes and his own dismay, but after much persuasion, he convinced his parents to let him switch majors. Felix then auditioned for their school performing arts program and got in, effectively transferring and joining the dance program. He was now majoring in dance studies, his goal to be a dance teacher for young kids. His long term dream was to own a dance studio, so Felix took business classes on the side when he had room in his schedule. 

“How were your classes today?” Felix turns a little so he could look at Seungmin, his eyes taking in the blanket around his shoulders and manga in hand. “I’m guessing it went pretty well for you to be slacking with a manga right now,” Felix quips.

“Oh, shut up,” Seungmin rolls his eyes and swats at his friend with his free hand. “It was just stressful, so I wanted to relax with some Haikyuu.” 

“Oh,” Felix then sits up, a little crease appearing between his eyebrows in concern. Then his eyes light up as he gets an idea. “I can make some tea for us!” Felix says cheerfully, jumping up from the couch and running to their tiny kitchen to start the kettle. 

“If we have any of that apple-y tea that Jeongin brought home a couple of days ago left, can you make me a cup?” Seungmin calls into the kitchen, snuggling closer into his favorite blanket. 

“We have a couple of bags left!” Felix squeals from the kitchen and Seungmin smiles, going back to reading his manga. 

“Oh hey Seung, by the way,” Felix says as he walks around the kitchen, “there's a party tonight that my friend’s hosting, wanna go with Jeongin and me?” 

“I’m busy tonight,” Seungmin answers nonchalantly, flipping the page of his manga. Oikawa had just entered in the panel he was reading, and Seungmin was not about to put his manga down now. 

“You _always_ say you're busy,” Felix pouts, walking back from the kitchen, leaving the kettle on the stove to heat up, and plops down on the couch right next to Seungmin. “It's like you've never been to a party before!” 

“Well, I haven't been to a party before,” Seungmin shrugs, turning the page of his manga once again, way more invested in Oikawa currently smirking than whatever party Felix was going to. 

“What!?” Felix shrieks suddenly, hitting a decibel Seungmin wasn't even sure was possible from his deep-voiced roommate, causing Seungmin to jump in his seat and accidentally drop his manga. Seungmin watches in horror as the manga tumbles to the floor, effectively making him lose his spot. It was heart-shattering. 

“What the hell, Felix?” Seungmin whines, leaning down and picking up his manga, immediately flipping through the pages to find his spot. So much for his relaxing time. 

“What do you mean you've never been to a party?” Felix says with wide eyes, turning so his entire body was facing Seungmin. 

“That means, I’ve never been to a college party, or any for that matter,” Seungmin mumbles under his breath, much more invested in finding his previous spot in his manga. 

Truthfully, Seungmin had never been to a party in his life. Not in high school, and not in college. He never really understood the appeal of parties, maybe it was because he had never been to one, but he just never had the time to even care about going to one. He had always been much more content in spending his nights studying or fixating on a new book or show. 

“You aren't serious,” Felix shakes Seungmins arm, and the latter fumbles with the manga in hand and loses his page, again. If his dreams of relaxing weren't shattered before, they definitely were now. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, Lix,” Seungmin whines again, giving up on his manga and setting it on the coffee table. Before Felix had moved in, Seungmin and Jeongin (their other roommate), had done nothing with decorating their small three-roomed apartment. When Felix moved in that quickly changed. Now there were pretty cream-colored curtains on all the windows, a cute vintage looking coffee table decorated with a little succulent (Felix named him Rory), and a fuzzy soft red rug underneath the coffee table. There were also many little decorations here and there, and Seungmin had to admit it really made their small apartment feel like a home. 

“Yes, it is!” Felix shrieks again, and tumbles forward and onto Seungmin. The lavender haired boy quickly wraps himself around Seungmin, getting comfy with resting his head on the other's shoulder. 

“Felix,” Seungmin sighs, rolling his eyes and giving his friend a _drop it_ look, though it's only aimed at the top of his head so the petite boy never gets the message. 

“Seungie, what's the point of going to university if you don't even go to a college party?” Felix whines, nuzzling even further into Seungmin’s embrace. Seungmin lets him, even going as far as to wrap his arms around Felix for better cuddles. Seungmin was never big on physical affection, but Felix was just so fucking comfortable to cuddle with it was hard to resist. 

“I don't know, maybe an education,” Seungmin deadpans. 

“Fuck that!” Felix yells and leans back from Seungmin just enough to give him one of his signature blinding smiles, full of crinkling eye smiles, and says, “one of my friends is having a party tonight, and you are coming with me!” 

“No,” Seungmin immediately responds, fidgeting under the gentle weight of the human koala that was on top of him. 

“Yes!” Felix says and leans back in to continue to wrap himself around Seungmin. Again, Seungmin lets him. “You need to get out more!” 

“I get out enough,” Seungmin huffs. 

“Seungmin you only have two friends-”

“Which is enough!”

“-and they are your roommates.” 

Then, the kettle goes off. Felix yelps at the shrieking kettle, which honestly sounded very similar to Felix's shrieks from earlier, and scrambles off Seungmin to cut the heat. Seungmin sighs, hiking up his blanket back around his shoulders. Felix wasn't wrong. Seungmin had only ever talked to one other person before Felix moved in, and that was their other roommate Jeongin. Sure he talked to some of his classmates in his classes, but it never got farther than “good morning!” or “good afternoon!” and “how are you?” before classes would start. Jeongin and Felix really were his only friends.

Felix returns with two steaming mugs of tea, the fruity fragrance from both mugs wafting over to him. Seungmin accepts the cup with a small thank you, trying his best to avoid Felix’s imploring eyes.

“Seungie,” Felix starts, softer than before, settling beside Seungmin again and Seungmin feels the need to prepare himself for what his friend was going to say next. “There isn't anything wrong with only having a few friends.” 

Seungmin looks up from where he was studying the swirling tea in his mug, and at Felix, who was supporting a fond smile. Seungmin gulps. 

“And there is also nothing wrong with making more friends, and hey, maybe even be a little more than friendly with someone!” Felix wiggles his eyebrows and gives Seungmin one of _those_ looks. 

“Felix!” Seungmin shrieks and shoves Felix away as said boy cackles like a hyena at Seungmin’s reaction. Seungmin just covers one of his ears with his free hand as he feels them start to heat up. His ears almost felt hotter than the mug of tea clasped in his hand. 

“So, will you go to the party with me tonight?” Felix looks up at Seungmin, jutting his lip out and making his signature perfect Puss In Boots face. 

Seungmin sighs, knowing full well he was a sucker for Felix and his pouts and wide eyes. Then, he hears an echo of what Felix had said earlier in his head. Felix really wanted to go and made it seemed a little fun too. One party wouldn't hurt, right? 

“Alright, I’ll go,” Seungmin agrees, his mind made up. Before Felix could start screaming, he quickly adds, “as long as you agree to do a Haikyuu binge session with me.” 

“Deal!” Felix shrieks for the nth time that night and scurries off of Seungmin. The younger feels a little sad at the loss of contact, but seeing Felix start to jump around their tiny living room in excitement makes up for it. 

“Uh, Felix?” Seungmin speaks up, just a little terrified of what he was about to ask his friend. 

“Yeah?” Felix stops his jumping to look over at Seungmin in question.

“What am I supposed to wear?” Seungmin asks shyly, looking down at his sweatpants and hoodie; he wasn't sure that what he was wearing was exactly party attire. And at his words, Felix shrieks _again_. 

“Oh my god, this is going to be so fucking amazing!” Felix shouts and Seungmin is sure that their neighbors are going to complain at some point. 

An hour later, Seungmin is ready. 

Felix had gone crazy. Dressing Seungmin up in his clothes like a brand new barbie doll. 

Eventually, Jeongin came home from his night classes, his arms full of books and looking tired, but as soon as he found out what Felix had dragged him into, his eyes lit up. At some point in Felix getting Seungmin ready, Jeongin suggested applying some eyeshadow to his party look, and then it was Seungmin’s turn to shriek. 

Felix and Jeongin ended up chasing Seungmin around their apartment, Felix with an eyeliner wand in hand, and Jeongin with a palette of eyeshadow. Felix then smartly bribed Seungmin with an offer to buy him the latest volume of any of his favorite mangas, and Seungmin caved. 

And that was how Seungmin found himself tightly stuffed into a pair of Felix’s jeans, and a top that had absolutely no right being that itchy, on his way across campus to a college party. 

After he had agreed to the eyeshadow, Felix had even added his own special touches. Felix added sparkles to his eyelids with the addition of some lightly lined eyeliner with a bright smile. While Felix was doing his makeup, Seungmin could tell his roommate was really enjoying himself. 

Seungmin never wore makeup before, and he could slightly feel the presence of the beauty products on his face. He had to focus extra hard to not rub at his eyes.

“Felix, I thought you said it was close by,” Jeongin grumbles as they pass one of the outer buildings of their university's campus. The youngest was wearing something similar to Seungmin, except Jeongin's shirt looked a lot more comfortable than the one that was lowly hanging off his own collarbones. Jeongin’s ash-blond hair was parted in the middle of his forehead to form a pretty heart shape, and he was also wearing makeup similar to Seungmin. Though, his eyeshadow was more prominent to accentuate the feline shape of his eyes. 

“I did, you dumbass,” Felix counters to Jeongin, running a hand through his hair, and Seungmin watches as the lavender strands just fell right back in place in front of his eyes. “I said it was close by to the campus.” 

“You bitch,” Jeongin stops walking abruptly, causing Felix who was walking just a step behind him to run right into him with a huff. “You didn’t say that! You just said it was close by!”

Their apartment building was one of the new ones their university had built a couple of years back, it was definitely the most luxurious building their college offered. All three of them were lucky to get a chance to live there as sophomores. The only problem was that it was at the very edge of campus, and pretty far from most of their classes, but it made up for the nice size of their rooms and the fact they had their own bathroom and kitchen. 

“Guys please,” Seungmin whines, tugging on the sleeve of Jeongin's top and Felix’s wrist, trying to get them to start walking again. “Can we please just get this over with?”

“Seungie, you are going to enjoy yourself tonight, okay?” Felix asks, giving Seungmin a serious look. Seungmin finally gets Felix to start walking again when he starts aggressively tugging on his friend's wrist. 

“Yeah, yeah, totally,” Seungmin says without much assurance but smiles nonetheless when he successfully gets Jeongin and Felix to start walking at a nice pace again. 

Felix just rolls his eyes, running a hand through his hair yet again and looking down at his phone, typing away to send a text to someone. Felix rarely put products in his hair due to his habit of running his hands through it, and Seungmin was absolutely amazed at how his hair could just fall back into place as perfectly as it did. It framed his face so prettily, exposing his heart-shaped forehead and landing just at the corners of his eyes. Light caught on the gloss that adorned his lips from the streetlights and Seungmin felt a pang of fondness in his chest for his best friend. 

Today really reminded Seungmin just how gorgeous his friends really were. 

Jeongin just continued to grumble. “Where the fuck is this place?” 

“It’s at a frat house,” Felix responds, his nose still buried into his phone. The light from his screen sends little shadows across his face that accentuated his soft features. Seungmin kinda wanted to reach out and boop his nose. 

“Hyunjin's in a frat?” Jeongin’s asks, his voice dropping his grumbling tone as he looks over to Felix, his face squished up in question. 

“No, the frat is just letting him borrow the house for the party,” Felix shakes his head, still invested in whatever he was doing on his phone.

“How the fuck did he manage that?” Jeongin squeaks. 

“I don’t know, it's Hyunjin, are you even surprised?” Felix finally looks up from his phone and quirks an eyebrow at Jeongin.

Seungmin tunes his friends out, his disinterest in whoever this Hyunjin guy was evident on his face as he walks a little ahead of the bickering duo. It was late enough in the day that the sun was still a little bit over the horizon. The setting sun cast a golden glow on everything around them and felt wonderful on the little bits of Seungmin’s exposed skin. Heat from the sun tickles the back of his neck, hinting at how the days were going to start getting warmer and warmer soon. He has always absolutely adored nights like this, and was just a little, _just a little_ , glad that Felix and Jeongin had dragged him out of their dorm so he could experience the lovely golden glow on the horizon. It reminds him of high school, of nights when he would bike to the local park with his camera bag slung over his shoulder and get lost in the beauty of the setting sun making his surroundings feel alive. 

His peaceful memories were interrupted by Felix suddenly shrieking. 

“This is it!” Felix’s voice, way louder than need be, shouts into the night. Seungmin bristles at Felix’s volume and turns to look where his friend was animatedly pointing. Seungmin had only ever been down on this street once before when Felix had dragged him out on one of his morning jogs, and he remembers being amazed that such nice houses were situated so close to their university. His legs and abdomen ache a little at the memory of the jog as well, and he’s then reminded just how fit his tiny friend is. 

“Phew, this is a nice house,” Jeongin lowly whistles as they make their way across the street and past several cars to the house that was clearly hosting the party. 

Seungmin had to agree with Jeongin. The house was _big_ ; noticeably bigger than the other houses on the street. Seungmin could hear the music pounding around in the house echo out onto the street and tickle the night air. There were people on the front lawn chatting away, and he recognized a girl with her hair pulled up into high ponytails as someone from one of his classes. As they passed she smiled at him, and he smiled back shyly. 

Already, Seungmin was starting to feel overwhelmed by the number of people he could see. He didn't like crowds much, and just by seeing how many people were outside, he was afraid to know how many people were inside. 

Almost as if Felix could read his mind, the shorter boy places a hand on Seungmin's arm and smiles reassuringly at him. “If you don’t think you can handle the party, we can always turn back and go home whenever.” 

Seungmin's chest pangs at how thoughtful his friend was. Felix really was amazing. With that thought in mind, Seungmin takes a deep breath and says something he really hopes he won't regret later. “It's okay, I can do it.”

“Great!” Felix beams and Seungmin returns Felix’s smile with a fond one of his own. Seungmin follows his friends as they take their first steps into the stupidly nice-looking house. 

When they fully step inside, the volume of the music bouncing around the house feels like a slap in Seungmin’s face. He knew it was going to be loud, he just did not expect it to be _this_ loud. It was vibrating the house with its bass, and each snare Seungmin could feel in his chest. He knew it was some American rap song as he recognized some of the words from the lyrics. It definitely wasn't his taste, but he could tell why people played songs like this when he glanced around and watched the surging and gyrating bodies. It was definitely a danceable song. He would be lying if he said he wasn't mesmerized watching some of the people around him dancing along to the raging hip hop.

“Stay close to us, okay?” Felix nudges Seungmin's shoulder, his head tilted to the side, and his smile warm. 

“Felix, Seungmin doesn't need babying,” Jeonging scoffs and nudges Felix’s shoulder just like how the lavender haired boy had done to Seungmin, except Jeongin had pushed much harder. Felix stumbles a bit, losing his footing from Jeongin's playful push, and sends a glare at the younger.

“I’m not trying to baby him! I just don’t want him to get too uncomfortable with the crowds!” Felix whines and chases after Jeongin to give his shoulder a little push in retaliation. Jeongin just rolls his eyes and walks his way deeper into the house. Seungmin smiles softly at his friends' cute antics and follows after them. 

Seungmin was an avid reader and had read his fair share of books involving high school and college parties. Though, he didn't think the words on the ivory pages of his favorite books really do this party justice. It was loud, almost deafeningly so with the number of partygoers trying to talk over the pounding music to be heard by the other partygoers around them. 

Seungmin had honestly thought Felix was overdoing it when he had forced him into the fancy clothes and sparkly makeup, but looking at the people around him, he could see that everyone took getting ready very seriously. Some people were wearing baggy clothes that fashionably swallowed up their figure, and others were wearing little to nothing. It was entertaining seeing the variety of outfits around him, from the brightly colored crop tops to overly baggy jeans that looked over three times the size they should be. As he was looking across the partygoers, he met eyes with a boy who looked his age. He had the brightest blue hair Seungmin had ever seen and a feline smile that reminded him of Jeongin. The boy was wearing a simple white tank top that showed off his impressive defined but slim arms and a pair of baggy jeans that stopped just above his ankles and white platformed doc martins. 

The feline smile quirks to the side into a smirk when the boy notices how Seungmin was checking him out, and when Seungmin realizes he's been caught he quickly looks away. Seungmin turns to look back at his friends with burning cheeks, only to realize that he had somehow already lost them in the crowd. 

Panic. Panic seizes him as he looks around only to come up empty, not able to spot a head of lavender or ash-blond hair of his best friends throughout the crowd. The music seems to fade in and out of his ears as the only thing he could think was that he was suddenly alone. Very alone in a sea of people. How did he lose them so fast? 

“Hey there, pretty, did you lose your friends?” A voice breaks through his dismay, pulling him out of the murky water his panic had pushed him into. He quickly becomes aware of his surroundings again, especially the boy he had been staring at earlier, who was now standing right in front of him. 

“What?” Seungmin gapes at the boy who was oh so much more gorgeous up close. “How did you know?” 

“You looked lost, just took a good guess.” The blue-haired boy tilts his head cutely, smiling at him softly. “Want some help finding them?” 

“I, I don't want to bother you,” Seungmin mumbles out, feeling somehow small under the other boys’ gaze even though they stood exactly the same height (okay maybe the vibrant blue-haired boy stood just a few centimeters taller but Seungmin would _never_ admit that). 

“Don't worry, pretty, it would be my pleasure,” The other boy smiles wider, slightly stunning Seungmin who was already feeling a little light-headed from the nickname the other boy was using. He was dripping confidence, and it was slightly overwhelming Seungmin, but not in a bad way. “My name is Yeonjun by the way.” 

“Seungmin,” Seungmin offers, smiling due to Yeonjun’s infectious presence. 

“How come I’ve never seen you before, pretty?” Yeonjun begins, starting to walk and gesturing for Seungmin to follow. Yeonjun then starts leading Seungmin away from the surging crowd of dancers and off down a hallway where they passed two girls who were talking very animatedly to each other. 

“Uh, I, I haven't been to a party before,” Seungmin says, following behind Yeonjun. 

“Really? Are you a freshie, pretty?” Yeonjun looks back at Seungmin, his eyebrows shot up behind his fringe, already naturally wide soft brown eyes blew wider. 

“No,” Seungmin answers, feeling even shyer than before. “I’m a sophomore.” 

“And you've never been to a party before? This is your first?” Yeonjun asks, disbelief in his voice. 

“Yeah, this is my first,” Seungmin shrugs bashfully.

“Well, pretty, I’m glad I can be the one to keep you company at your first party,” Yeonjun grins back at Seungmin, one corner of his lips higher than the other. As Yeonjun speaks, they enter a large room that Seungmin doesn't even realize is a kitchen at first because it looks bigger than his entire apartment. 

“Holy shit,” Seungmin breaths out, looking around at all the high-end appliances and nice ass tiling. Seungmin didn't even know kitchen tiles could look _that_ good. 

“It's nice, isn't it?” Yeonjun watches Seungmin’s reaction with a smile. “Let’s get you some water,” Yeonjun reaches out and grabs Seungmin’s hand, and he lets the bright-haired boy drag him further into the enormous kitchen. Seriously, the kitchen looked bigger than his entire living room and kitchen combined. 

“So, pretty, how come this is only your first party?” Yeonjun walks over to one of the fridges, yes _one_ of them, and opens the folding doors. He locates the water bottles quickly and Seungmin wonders if there’s a reason he knows his way around this frat’s fridge so well. 

“I just never really understood the appeal of college parties or parties in general,” Seungmin says, accepting the water bottle Yeonjun hands him with a small smile. 

“Well, what are you thinking about this one so far?” Yeonjun spreads one of his arms out, gesturing around aimlessly, and leans back on the counter of the island that was covered in an assortment of foods. 

“I haven’t even been here for ten minutes and I already lost my friends, so not so great,” Seungmin murmurs, just loud enough for Yeonjun to hear, and moves over to lean on the counter next to him. He briefly glances at the food assortment on the kitchen island he had noticed earlier. It was covered in typical junk food, and Seungmin really didn’t know what else to expect from a college party, but he was slightly disappointed in the bags of Doritos and Lays chips. 

“Who are your friends, pretty? I might know them.” Yeonjun opens his own water bottle, the pop of the cap opening being drowned out by the bass that echoes into the kitchen. Even though there weren't any speakers in the kitchen, Seungmin could almost hear the music just as loudly as in the main rooms.

“Lee Felix and Yang Jeongin,” Seungmin answers, bringing his own water to his lips for a quick sip.

“Lee Felix? Dance studies major? Shy but somehow loud as fuck at the same time?” Yeonjun quirks an eyebrow, his water bottle stopped halfway up to his mouth as he asks Seungmin. 

Seungmin looks at Yeonjun surprised at the almost perfect description of his friend. “Yeah, that’s him, you know him?” 

“I have a few classes with him, I’m in the performing arts program as well,” Yeonjun grins, slowly bringing the water bottle up to his lips. 

“You’re a sophomore too?” Seungmin asks, slightly shocked. He figured that Yeonjun was around his age, but he had this air of confidence around him that made him seem more mature than Seungmin like maybe he was an upperclassman. 

“Nope,” Yeonjun popped the p. “I’m a junior, Felix had some lasting credits from his old school that transferred so he was put into some of my classes.” 

Seungmin stares at Yeonjun, shocked and a little confused that he knew his best friend. They went to a considerably enormous college with a spacious campus and a rather crowded student body, so it was shocking that the one person he ran into at this party just happened to know his best friend. Though he was certainly glad, it definitely made him more comfortable in Yeonjun’s presence knowing he knew Felix. 

“That’s kinda crazy, I’m his roommate,” Seungmin laughs, his lips automatically turning up into a little smile. 

“Well now that's a coincidence,” Yeonjun grins. 

“Are you a dance studies major as well?” Seungmin asks, wanting to know more about one of Felix’s friends. Though, before Yeonjun could answer, they were interrupted. 

“Seungmin! There you are!” A deep voice interrupts their conversation, and Seungmin whips his head towards the familiar sound of his friend’s voice. 

“Speaking of the devil,” Yeonjun laughs as he watches Felix bound over to them, his lavender hair bouncing with each quick step. 

“Seungmin, oh my god, one minute you were behind me the next you were gone! And you weren’t answering my calls! Or my texts! I thought you got fucking kidnapped!” Felix’s normally deep voice grew in volume and took on a more squeaky sound as he berates his best friend. He then proceeds to hit Seungmin’s arm with each of his words for good measure. 

“Oh, shit, I forgot to check my phone,” Seungmin admits sheepishly, ducking his eyes away from Felix’s angry pout. He had been so invested in his conversation with Yeonjun that he completely forgot he could have texted Felix to find him. 

“You know Seungmin, you are stupidly smart but also a fucking idiot!” Felix squeaks, his cheeks a soft shade of red from his outburst as he leaves one last slap to Seungmin’s arm. He flinches just a little at the final slap, Felix really was a lot stronger than he looked. 

“Hey, Lix,” Yeonjun makes his presence known. Felix had been so invested in berating Seungmin that he never noticed the vibrant haired boy Seungmin was with.

Felix looks over at the additional voice, temporarily forgetting about Seungmin as he spots Yeonjun. 

“Junnie!” Felix squeals and smiles wide and pretty before he's practically throwing himself at Yeonjun. “I’m surprised you aren't with Soobin right now,” Felix says while squeezing Yeonjun into a hug, and pulls back just enough after to tilt his head in question at the taller boy. 

“Soobin's here?” Yeonjuns eyes go comically wide, and Seungmin smiles, noticing that it seemed to be an endearing habit the older had. He doesn't know who Soobin is, but he seems to be someone important to the vibrant haired boy by his obvious reaction. 

“Yep,” Felix steps back and latches onto one of Seungmin's arms almost protectively. “He was walking around with Beomgyu when we arrived.” 

Yeonjuns eyes just seem to get brighter at the mention of the other boy.

“Well, pretty, it's time I take my leave,” Yeonjun turns to Seungmin, a sly smile playing on his lips. “It was nice meeting you, Seungmin.” 

“Yeah, yeah, it was nice meeting you too,” Seungmin sputters out, the attention suddenly on him. 

Yeonjun smiles at both of them one last time before turning to leave. The two friends watch as he disappears into the crowd of people once he steps out of the kitchen. 

Seungmin is still watching the place Yeonjun disappeared to when Felix nudges his shoulder. “Pretty, huh?” 

Seungmin groans and squeezes his eyes together. “He just started calling me that! I don't know!” 

“You and Yeonjun then, huh?” Felix just smirks at Seungmin's obvious discomfort.

Seungmin whines and sends his friend a helpless look.

“Relax Seung, everyone knows he's head over heels for Soobin,” Felix assures Seungmin. “Well except for Soobin of course,” Felix giggles.

“So you share a class with him?” Seungmin turns to look at his friend to confirm what Yeonjun had told him.

“Yep! He’s such a good dancer too, I’ve learned a lot from him,” Felix smiles as he mentions the older boy. “Honestly I think I've learned more from him than our professor,” Felix admits with a laugh.

“Really?” Seungmin giggles at the look on Felix’s face. 

“Really,” Felix giggles back. “Now it's time for _me_ to teach _you_ some dance moves!” Felix grabs Seungmin’s hands and pulls him back through the house until they're back into the array of the party. It was still at full blast; dancing bodies, some dazed expressions, surrounding laughter, and beaming smiles. A college party. 

“Wait!” Seungmin shrieks, but it falls on deaf ears. Felix weaves him through the dancing crowd until they find Jeongin in the middle of the sea of people. Jeongin was dancing with the gyrating bodies around him and Felix begins trying to get Seungmin to dance along with them. With the speakers now pounding out a song he actually likes, Seungmin indulges his smaller friend. 

Not knowing if he was going to have Yeonjun to rescue him if he lost his friends again, Seungmin makes sure to stick to Jeongin and Felix’s side. Though after a while of Seungmin dancing with Felix and Jeongin, he gets sweaty and uncomfortable in his clothes and escapes the dancing fray. He promises a worried Felix that he’ll text him his location at all times so they don't lose each other again. It eases Felix’s worries and Seungmin makes his escape. He finds himself a lone chair in the living room just diagonal from a large L shaped couch covered in people, and plops down on it, exhausted. On the couch, two boys were practically sitting on top of each other, their lips just a hair's breadth away from the others, and Seungmin makes it his purpose to ignore them. PDA was not his thing. 

From where Seungmin was sitting he could see Felix and Jeongin dancing together in the crowd. Watching them having fun with each other dancing was really the only reason why he was still planted in this chair. Felix would surprise Jeongin with a hip bump every now and then which would send the younger into the people around them and the two would erupt into fits of giggles. Watching his friends having so much fun and smiling wide made his heart contract with fondness.

After he started getting bored of watching them, he tried to keep himself busy by scrolling through his twitter feed to ignore the craze around him. He scrolls through his timeline, liking photos of Kageyama, commenting on posts about Oikawa, retweeting cute Daichi fanarts, but the pounding music around him and suffocating air was starting to get to his head no matter the distractions. 

It was hard to focus when people were still surging around him, everyone yelling over the music trying to be heard, and he could swear someone was smoking from the slight burn in his lungs when he would breathe in. 

He looked back up from his phone, easily spotting his friends dancing. While he wasn't watching, some people had joined them. Two boys that he had never seen before were dancing beside Felix and Jeongin, one with pitch-black hair and an intimidating aura despite his short stature, and another boy with round cheeks and silver hair that shone in the dull light of the room. 

From here, Seungmin could easily see how the shorter of the two new boys were watching Felix dance, his eyes clearly shining. He made sure to remember that for later. 

Knowing that his friends were occupied, Seungmin made his second escape. This time though, it would be much farther away.

While Yeonjun was walking him around the house earlier, he had spotted a pair of sliding doors that led outside to an assortment of playing equipment that made a little playground in the backyard. Right in the midst of the tiny playground was his favorite thing: a swing set. So, Seungmin knew exactly where he was going to make his escape. 

Seungmin walks through the bustling people, mumbling out little apologies here and there. He remembered exactly where the door was, just before the hallway that led to the kitchen full of the horrid snacks. This was a time he was grateful for his photographic memory.

And there it was, the door, practically shining like a gold nugget in a flowing stream before him. 

The door slides open easily, and as soon as he steps outside, he breaths in the night air like a starving man, inhaling the crisp air like he had been drowning; which is honestly how he had felt while inside. Seungmin didn't even realize how deafening the music had been inside the house until he had stepped outside and his ears began to ring at the drastic change in volume. 

While he was inside, the sun had set and the moon rose gloriously into the sky. Stars wink down at him from the sky as he makes his way over to the swing set. Seungmin brushes his hand across the wooden posts, bits of fraying wood poking at his fingers, threatening to stick under his skin. It makes Seungmin smile as memories begin to surface from when he was a kid.

Seungmin settles down in one of the seats of the swing, the chains squeaking and jingling under his weight. He kicks his feet out, swinging back before swinging back forward. He repeats the movement until he was swinging steadily, the night air whipping through his hair and wrestling against his silk shirt (actually Felix’s silk shirt). 

A soft smile stretches across his face, the memories bubbling into his mind from his childhood. As a kid, he had absolutely adored swinging on a swing set. He always felt like he was flying. It was freeing, no matter what age he was. 

Seungmin almost laughs out loud (loling at its finest) at his complete change in demeanor after coming outside. He felt much better outside, with the stars twinkling brightly at him, reflecting in his glasses and the soft wind rustling at his clothes and the bits of his bare skin. 

Feeling in the moment, Seungmin closes his eyes and tilts his head back to feel the soft breeze on his skin.

Suddenly, someone clears their throat from beside him, and he gasps out. Seungmin is quickly ripped from the tranquil atmosphere he's surrounded himself in. Seungmin looks up, and a boy he's never seen before is leaning against the wooden beams of the swing, staring down right at him.

“Hey.” The guy smiles calmy like he hadn't just almost given Seungmin a heart attack. Light catches on some of his blond highlighted hair, the long strands falling in front of his face as he tilts his head in Seungmin's direction. “Whatcha doing out here?” 

Okay, maybe it wasn't just Seungmin being startled that was potentially giving him a heart attack. 

Seungmin is only momentarily stunned by the stranger’s beauty. It should have been absolutely illegal how ethereal he looks now with the moon painting his face in flowing shadows, accentuating the curve of his full lips and the slight unevenness of his eyes when he smiled. Yes, it really should be illegal. 

And Seungmin, being the smart person he was, responded to the gorgeous boy very smartly, “uh, swinging.” 

A twinkling laugh erupts from the boy’s full lips that almost reminds Seungmin of the sound of fairies, and a slightly crooked smile overtakes his face and sends his eyes into uneven little crescents that take the air right out of Seungmin's lungs. 

“I can see that.” He smiles that lopsided smile and Seungmin was absolutely amazed. “How come you aren’t with everyone else?” The boy jerks his head in the direction of the frat house and fixes Seungmin with an inquisitive gaze. 

Seungmin feels a little on the spot with the boy’s question and the way he was looking at him, but it didn’t stop him from answering honestly, “it sucked.” 

The boy erupts into laughter again, but this time something shone in his eyes when he looked at Seungmin that sent his stomach into countless summersaults. 

“You didn’t like the party?” The stranger asks, quirking an eyebrow at Seungmin in question, his smile still shining, completely unrelenting.

Seungmin shakes his head, confused at the stranger’s curiosity about his opinion, yet for some reason he still wanted that attention on him. The small revelation shocks Seungmin to the point that his foot stutters while trying to push himself backward causing his swing seat to jostle suddenly, pulling a small _eep_ from his throat. 

“Whoa there.” The stranger laughs again, reaching out to grab the chains to Seungmin’s seat. The stranger settles the wiggling seat, now so much closer to Seungmin than before. 

Seungmin watches a lot of movies. A lot of shows. Spends all of his time when he's not studying, watching anime, reading mangas, and watching dramas. Right now, looking up at the stranger now standing in front of him, his hands holding onto the chains on either side of his head, he feels like he's in one of the stories he loves so much. It's almost unreal.

The stranger was looking down at him, his crooked smile still evident on his lovely face. Now that he was closer, Seungmin could see a little mole just under one of his eyes, which just made him even more attractive. 

The stranger stands there for a few moments, his eyes moving ever so slightly like he was searching Seungmin’s face for something. Seungmin gulps, feeling his cheeks heat up. 

“Well, wires,” the stranger leans down just a bit more, bringing a hand up to tap at Seungmin’s silver-rimmed circle-shaped glasses, “how come you didn't like the party?”

Seungmin sits there frozen, the skin on his cheek tingling from where the stranger had lightly brushed his finger against his skin when he had retreated his hand. He pulls himself back to the present and thinks of the stranger's question. His mind starts to fly, he traces his steps back to when he met Yeonjun, remembering his distaste for the bags of chips on the counter. He remembers the pounding crappy rap that vibrated in his chest, in his head, and in the soles of his shoes. 

“It was awful,” Seungmin finally answers, looking up into the stranger’s stare. 

“Okay, okay.” The stranger laughs, tilting his head back to the sky, his hair flowing back and out of his face, revealing his round cheeks that made Seungmin’s heart stutter. What is wrong with him? Why does it feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest every time this random stranger did the bare minimum?

“Maybe I need to be a little more specific, huh?” The stranger backs up, a laugh still bubbling at the tips of his slightly pink lips. “What was so awful about the party?” 

Now that the stranger stepped back a little, Seungmin doesn't feel as suffocated by his presence, though his heart still continues to beat against his ribs. Seungmin licks his lips as he watches the stranger settle into the swing beside him, the chains squeaking.

“The music was awful,” Seungmin begins, his lips quickly drying from the dry night air.

“Whaaat, you didn't like the music?” The stranger pouts a little, leaning his head against the chain of the swing to look at Seungmin. 

“It was awful American rap, do you even know what some of those lyrics mean?” Seungmin asks, quicking an eyebrow.

“Do you know English?” The stranger asks in return, his eyebrows shooting up behind his fringe that parted to reveal a little sliver of his forehead. 

“I studied it in high school a little, I’m not nearly fluent, but I speak a little of it with my roommate,” Seungmin says, feeling a blush brighten up his cheeks. He hopes the stranger won't notice, but the way his lip quirks up tells Seungmin that he definitely notices the blush.

“And the food was despicable,” Seungmin continues, surprising himself with his comfort in talking. Something about the boy beside him made him… _want_ to talk… _want_ to continue their conversation. Seungmin didn't dare think of it more, way too scared of that little implication.

“Like seriously? Lays? Is that all they could think of?” Seungmin says, raising his voice just a bit to show his exasperation of the chips.

“What do you mean? Lays are always a go-to party snack!” The stranger argues playfully, throwing his hands up in the air like he couldn't believe what Seungmin was saying. 

“They didn't even put the chips in bowls! Just threw the bags on the counter to be ravaged!” Seungmin shoots back. 

“Well, I, I don't know!” The stranger sputters, slightly choking on his laughter. Seungmin really liked the way his laugh sounded, and how it seemed like he couldn’t go a couple of minutes without giggling at least a little bit. Seungmin didn't mind at all, he could listen to this strangers laugh on repeat.

“It was way too crowded,” Seungmin says, sending a pointed look towards the pretty stranger, surprising himself with his boldness, but he still continued.

“And-” Seungmin begins once again. 

“-Oh, you aren't done-” Pretty stranger interrupts, a grin on his face.

“-I think someone was smoking! Inside!” Seungmin finishes with a flare of his hands and the stranger burst out in laughter for the nth time since they had been together that night. 

“Why are you laughing?” Seungmin whines and kicks his feet out like a child. 

“Okay so clearly, parties just aren't your thing,” Stranger grins, his fringe, slightly curled at the ends, falls in front of his eyes as he looks over at Seungmin, and he feels almost starstruck. 

“I thought that was obvious,” Seungmin answers, feeling just slightly breathless. 

“Since you just described every college party out there, I can definitely say it's now very obvious,” The stranger says and looks away, breaking the eye contact that was leaving Seungmin’s chest exploding. 

Seungmin doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't say anything. 

A soft silence overtakes the two of them, and it's not the suffocating silence he's used to feeling when he's with new people. It’s not like the silence he's used to having with people he has known before either. Not like that awful silence when he’s stuck, trying to get his muddled brain to come up with something to say when his nerves get the better of him. 

Seungmin absentmindedly taps his foot in the dirt below and watches the stars above their heads wink down at them. If he believed in fate, he could have sworn it looked like the moon was watching them, watching their new relationship bloom.

“So, wires, what _is_ your thing?” The stranger asks, breaking the silence and using that nickname Seungmin doesn't really understand, but he can’t deny the way his heart flutters.

“My thing?” Seungmin sputters as the stranger begins kicking his feet out to swing. 

“Mhm, what's your thing?” He repeats. 

“Not this party,” Seungmin answers without hesitation. After the words slip past his lips, he freezes. The butterflies dissipate in his stomach and a knot replaces it, squeezing at his sides uncomfortably. 

“Seriously!” The stranger laughs, and the tightness in his stomach loosens a little. “What do you like to do, you know, what do you spend way too much time doing, or I don't know, what's something you love to waste your time doing?” The stranger rambles a little, and Seungmin can’t help but smile at how cute he is. 

Seungmin thinks for a second. Usually, he's shy to talk about his passions, but the stranger had built a comfortable presence for him, so again, Seungmin doesn't hold back. “I like anime,” he says shyly.

“Anime?” The stranger asks, tilting his head to the side in question. 

Seungmin gasps, his eyes going wide. “Don't tell me you don't know what anime is!” 

“No! Wait, I do!” The stranger laughs, putting his hands up in defense. “I just don't know a lot about it!” 

“What's there not to get?” Seungmin can't help but laugh, the smile on the stranger’s face and laughter on his lips infectious. “It's an animation style based in Japan.” 

“Okay, well I knew that of course, but like shows and that stuff, not so much,” the stranger continues to kick his feet in the dirt underneath him, smiling sheepishly. 

“Well, my favorite anime is Haikyuu,” Seungmin says, not helping himself from staring at the bashful look on the strangers face. It was somehow endearing, so different from his confident behavior from earlier. 

“Haikyuu?” The stranger asks, kicking his feet out a little stronger than before. “What's it about?”

Seungmin licks his lips, butterflies erupting in his stomach at the fact that this stranger was interested in the anime he liked. “Volleyball,” Seungmin says softly.

The stranger keeps asking questions, sounding genuinely interested and the next thing Seungmin knew, he was telling the stranger the entire plot of his favorite anime. Telling him all of his favorite characters, why he loved them, and just rambling on and on. The stranger didn't stop staring at him, his eyes occasionally crinkling up at the sides and sometimes into the cute little crescents that Seungmin was slowly learning to adore. 

Seungmin isn't really sure how long they spent there together, just talking and talking and talking with each other, but somehow he remembers his friends. 

“Shit,” Seungmin curses in between sentences, mid-rambling about Kageyama, and reaches to the back pocket of the too-tight jeans for his phone. 

“What's wrong?” The stranger leans closer to him, his eyebrows creased together in worry. 

“I just remembered my friends are probably looking for me,” Seungmin quickly says, his fingers moving rapidly to unlock his phone. When he finally turns it on, he's greeted with 6 missed calls from Jeongin, 17 missed calls from Felix, and way too many missed texts from them both. 

“Shit, I think they're looking for me,” Seungmin looks guiltily over to the stranger, and he smiles reassuringly back. 

“Well I don't think they would have looked out here,” the stranger giggles, and Seungmin forgets what he's doing for a second, busy playing that sound over and over again in his head. Then his phone buzzes again, and he quickly looks back to text Felix. 

**To:** **_human hinata_ **

**From:** **_mongmin_ **

sorry i got distracted 

im outside at a swing set

**To:** **_mongmin_ **

**From:** **_human hinata_ **

TYOUI FUCKDUNF BITECH INIM FLCOM INE F KRIGKRNT JOW

I AHUFT4E YOU

DAIOSU YOU AMKWON HOWNHA ISCARED IVEM BEEN 

**To:** **_human hinata_ **

**From** **_: mongmin_ **

i’m sorry ):

**To:** **_mongmin_ **

**From:** **_human hinata_ **

i can't stay mad at you

i love you

bitch

i'm coming to find you

…

where are you again…

**To:** **_human hinata_ **

**From:** **_mongmin_ **

there’s a swing set in the backyard

im there

~swinging~

**To:** **_mongmin_ **

**From:** **_human hinata_ **

im fucking rrunning 

“How's it going?” The stranger kicks out one of his feet, nudging his foot against Seungmins. “Are they worried out of their mind?”

“A little,” Seungmin chuckles under his breath.

“Aww,” the stranger whines, and Seungmin looks up from his phone to him in surprise. “Are they going to take you away from me?” The stranger juts out his bottom lip in a pout, making his lips look bigger than normal. Seungmin’s stomach explodes in butterflies. 

Seungmin laughs nervously, reaching up to tug at some of his bangs, fixing them just to have something to do with his hands. Nobody had ever been so forward with Seungmin before, and he has no idea what the fuck to do in this situation.

“Maybe I can convince Felix to let me stay for a while,” Seungmin says with all the confidence he can muster. 

“Felix?” The stranger tilts his head almost like a confused puppy. It's stupidly endearing. “Like, Lee Felix?”

“Huh?” Seungmin gets hit with an intense feeling of deja vu, remembering being in this same position with Yeonjun earlier. Just how many people did Felix know?

“Dance studies major?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Seungmin confirms, the feeling of deja vu getting even stronger. “You know Felix?”

The stranger laughs, throwing his head back. The joyous sound of his laughter fills the night and alights something in Seungmin’s chest. It's loud and big, an exhilarating sound that makes Seungmin want to join in and laugh until he can't anymore. 

Seungmin briefly thinks, _is this the feeling that I read so much about?_

“So,” the stranger continues laughing, his words fighting against his laughter to come out, “ _you_ must be Seungmin.” 

Seungmin almost falls out of his swing. 

“Whoa!” The stranger quickly reaches out, grabbing onto Seungmin’s shoulder to steady him. “Careful there, wires.”

“How,” Seungmin completely sputters, very confused, and slightly overwhelmed, “how did you know my name?” 

Before the stranger could answer though, a shriek pierces through the night.

“Seungmin!” The familiar shriek of his best friend interrupts whatever was happening between Seungmin and the stranger. “Kim Seungmin!”

Seungmin turns and sees his small friend hanging out of the sliding doors connected to the house, Jeongin just behind him. 

“Kim Seungmin!” Felix continues to shriek, now running frantically towards the swing set. Seungmin quickly scrambles up, ready to intercept his best friend. 

“Felix!” Seungmin grunts as Felix barrels into him, immediately squeezing Seungmin with everything he had. Which was a lot. Seungmin was slowly starting to lose his oxygen supply.

“I was so scared when we went back to the couch and you weren't there,” Felix says into Seungmin's shoulder, where he had buried his face into. “I thought the worst when you were not responding, I was so scared.” 

“I’m sorry Lixie,” Seungmin frowns, feeling guilty that he had put his friend through that, and wraps his arms around his friend for a much-needed hug. 

“Hey Seung,” Jeongin walks up to them, going much slower than Felix had. “I tried to tell him you were fine, but he refused to listen. But next time, maybe text us?” 

Seungmin chuckles, “next time, I won't forget.” 

“You better not!” Felix yells from where he is still hugging Seungmin and then tightens his arms again and Seungmin chokes on the air in his lungs being squeezed out. 

“It’s okay Felix, he was with me.” While Seungmin had been occupied with Felix, he never heard the stranger approach, now standing at his side and looking amusingly at him. Upon hearing the stranger's voice, Felix quickly separates from Seungmin. 

“Hyunjin?” Felix looks bug-eyed at the stranger, and Seungmin feels the knot return to his stomach. _Hyunjin? As in the Hyunjin whose party they were at?_

“H-Hyunjin?” Seungmin stutters, turning to look at the stranger in shock.

“That’s me,” The stranger- _Hyunjin_ -grins devilishly, and Seungmin feels faint. 

“Whoa Seungmin,” Felix steps back from Seungmin, looking between him and Hyunjin, “you're being such a social butterfly tonight, first Yeonjun and now Hyunjin.”

“I,” Seungmin starts to talk but his voice fails him, his mind running rampant. 

“Thanks for inviting us to your party, Jinnie,” Felix leaves Seungmins side, and like the human koala he is, rushes over and hugs Hyunjin. 

“No problem, Lix,” Hyunjin hugs Felix back, and Seungmin feels the need to sit down. 

_I really just told Hyunjin that his party sucked to his face,_ Seungmin thinks. _And I even went into depth about how much I hated it..._

“Okay, enough Felix, you promised me barbeque,” Jeongin grabs at Felix’s shirt, starting to yank on it to get him to let Hyunjin go. Seungmin watches the scene before him, still trying to get his mind to cooperate. His mind was running wild, backtracking everything that had happened in the last hour.

“Alright, alright,” Felix pulls away from Hyunjin, then goes over to Jeongin to ruffle his hair. “Hyunjin would you like to come with us? We’re going to that new barbeque place, I think it's called Byeol? It’s just a short walk from campus.” 

“I would love to, Lix!” Hyunjin beams at Felix and Seungmin’s blood runs cold, conflicted with wanting to spend more time with the stranger- _Hyunjin_ -and being too scared to look him in the eye again. “Though, I gotta stay for the rest of my party,” Hyunjin says. The last part he says looking Seungmin right in the eyes, and if Seungmin could turn an even darker shade of red, he did.

“Thanks again for inviting us!” Felix waves and starts walking off, Seungmin following behind like a lost puppy. 

“Hope to see you guys again soon,” Hyunjin waves back, his eyes still on Seungmin. “It was nice to meet you Seungmin.” 

Seungmin gulps, pausing just a moment to stare Hyunjin in the eyes. “It was nice to meet you too,” he says small, breaking eye contact and following after Jeongin and Felix. 

As they walk away from the swing set and Hyunjin, Seungmin looks back one last time, his gaze fixating on Hyunjin like a magnet. Hyunjin is staring right at him, his full lips quirked up in a smirk. Seungmin’s cheeks flare, and he quickly turns back trying to focus on his friends talking. 

But his friends' words just fall on deaf ears, Seungmin’s mind still whirling, but this time, he can't get the image of Hyunjin out of his head or the way he felt with the blond highlighted boy. Suddenly, Seungmin is very grateful that his friends dragged him out of their apartment that night.

✧

After that Friday, Seungmin had a newfound intrigue with parties. And it may or may not have had to do with a certain dark-eyed boy with long blond highlighted hair and a gorgeous lopsided smile that made his heart skip beats. Seungmin would not confirm or deny that. 

The next Thursday after the party, Seungmin, with all the confidence he could muster, had shyly asked Felix if there was going to be another party that Friday. After that, Felix stopped inviting him to parties. His freckled friend would just stick his head into Seungmins room a quarter to eight, tell Seungmin what party was that night, who’s it was, and then they would leave together by half-past eight. 

As much as Seungmin wanted to deny that the only reason he went to all these parties was because of a certain boy with blond highlights and a crooked smile, he couldn’t lie. Every night he would search for Hyunjin, looking for his glowing tan skin and dark shining eyes. And Seungmin had kept searching, no matter that Hyunjin hadn't attended the last couple of parties. It almost seemed like the boy was just a figure of his imagination he had dreamed up that night. Who knew, maybe Hyunjin _was_ just a figment of his imagination. It was really starting to feel like it. 

Though, he did end up finding someone else. 

He ran into Yeonjun again at the next party he went to. That time, his hair was a muted blue, not the vibrant blue it had been when they first met. It was softer, a pretty, light blue that reminded Seungmin of the sky on cloudless days. From then on, at all the parties that Seungmin went to, he met up with Yeonjun; since they had exchanged numbers, it was much easier to find each other when they both arrived. 

Felix had been absolutely ecstatic, glad that Seungmin was making new friends. Seungmin couldn’t lie when he said that maybe, just maybe, making friends wasn’t as bad as he used to believe, and seeing Felix’s smile when he called Yeonjun a friend was really worth all of the anxiety. 

Even so, Seungmin still didn’t tell anyone the main reason why he even attended all of those parties. 

Hyunjin hadn’t left his mind since that night. That night where they swung on the swing set together under the stars. It was honestly magical. Everything about it. How comfortable Seungmin felt with Hyunjin, how it had felt like they were there for ages just talking when in reality it had only been an hour or two at best. 

Something about Hyunjin, something that he could never put a finger on, fascinated Seungmin to no end. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about Hyunjin’s lopsided smile and crinkling crescent eye smiles. His dimpling cheeks and the way he laughed with his entire body. 

The parties he attended with his friends, surprisingly became fun for him. He found a certain comfort in dancing between crowded bodies, dancing all the stress from the week away. Plus dancing with Felix and Yeonjun was an amazing experience, they were fascinating to watch and their joy from dancing was always so contagious. 

At their second party, Jeongin taught him how to play beer pong, and Seungmin had gotten drunk for his first time. Awful experience, he would not suggest it. Though, the memories and pictures they had gotten from that night would always burn brightly in his heart. Frequently, Felix brought up that he had thought a house plant was Jeongin and had tried to tease it. There is a video and everything. 

It wasn’t until a month after he first met Hyunjin, at the fourth party he attended, that Seungmin saw the sparkly-eyed boy again. 

He had been sitting on a couch in between Yeonjun and Soobin, the boy that Seungmin immediately recognized as the sleeping boy on Yeonjun's lock screen. Seungmin had been sitting contently, listening to one of Yeonjun’s animated stories, the formerly vibrant haired boy's arms flailing everywhere. Soobin was leaning softly on Seungmin, his shining eyes trained on Yeonjun, as they always were. 

It was pure luck really, how at that time he decided to look away from his new friends and to the opening to the living room they were in. Just as he had looked away, a boy with glowing tan skin and highlighted hair walked past the open door, a wide breathtaking smile on his face. 

“Oof,” Soobin grunts as Seungmin jostles in his seat, eyes blown wide as Hyunjin walks past the door and disappears. 

“Seungmin,” Soobin whines, pushing himself into a sitting position and lightly glaring at Seungmin. 

“Oh, sorry,” Seungmin shakes his head, trying to bring himself back into the real world. He settles back in between Soobin and Yeonjun. Soobin cuddles back into Seungmin’s side, leaning just slightly over him to look at Yeonjun. Seungmin really wouldn't be surprised if Soobin eventually crawled over his lap to get to Yeonjun. Really he was surprised that he hadn't yet. 

Momentarily distracted, Seungmin then remembers _who_ he just saw. _Hyunjin_. The boy he had been dreaming of meeting for the past month. 

Hyunjin, he learned, was a friend of Felix’s. They shared some classes together and would frequently hang out when they had the time. Recently, they had been spending a lot of time together due to the dance recital that was just the next weekend. 

Seungmin never had the courage to ask Felix to text Hyunjin asking if he would show up to any of the parties they attended, or ask Yeonjun who just so happened to also be a friend of the boy who so carelessly took his heart. It was almost pitiful, just how anxious Hyunjin made him. Granted, he hadn't had a crush since high school, so he was a little overwhelmed.

He’s crushed on guys countless times before, but something about Hyunjin drove him absolutely crazy, and not in a bad way. Not in a bad way at all. 

“I think,” Seungmin licks his lips, accidentally interrupting Yeonjun, but he was a little too distracted to care at the moment. He didn't want to miss Hyunjin. “I think I’m going to go look for someone.” 

“Oh, who?” Soobin quickly asks, leaning away from Seungmin so he could stand up. 

“Felix?” Yeonjun asks in turn. 

“Just a friend from, a, uh, class,” Seungmin stutters, not gaining the courage, to be honest. Though, when was he ever honest about Hyunjin? 

“Do I know them?” Yeonjun leans forwards, and Soobin plops back down to the couch once Seungmin stands up and falls to the side a bit, trying to get closer to the blue-haired boy. 

Seungmin gulps, looking at Yeonjun for a second before turning away and busying himself with fixing the cuffs of his sleeves. Again, Felix had fitted him in some of the elders' clothes. He tries to pretend like he didn't hear Yeonjun, but he knows he was unsuccessful. 

“I do!” Yeonjun says, very loudly. Slowly, a smirk slides onto Yeonjuns face. “And you are trying to hide them, which means, this person is someone _special_.”

“What? No!” Seungmin turns back to Yeonjun, forgetting his now uneven cuffs as panic starts to bubble through his body at the thought of his new friend learning about his feelings for Hyunjin. He wasn't really ready to admit that out loud. He had barely admitted it to himself. 

“He's denying it very enthusiastically!” Soobin pipes in quickly, his cheek squished up from leaning on Yeonjun’s shoulder. _They should really get a room_ , Seungmin thinks. 

“Who is it?” Yeonjun asks again, leaning forward and dislodging Soobin off his shoulder. The latter frowns at the loss of contact, but Yeonjun doesn't notice making the pout on Soobins lips deeper. 

“Just,” Seungmin stutters, not sure how to get himself out of the predicament he was currently in. “Just a friend from a class.” 

“You have to tell me!” Yeonjun then bounces off the couch, way too enthusiastically, and grabs at one of Seungmin's hands. The older holds Seungmin's hand between his own and brings it up to his face pleadingly. 

“Yeonjun-” Seungmin starts, trying to get his hand free, but Yeonjun surprisingly has a strong grip he can't get out of. 

“Please Minnie, please tell me,” Yeonjun continues to beg, pouting and making his eyes big. Seungmin has to hand it to Yeonjun, it's pretty convincing, but no match for his roommates' pleading gazes. Jeongin could ask him to rob a bank and Seungmin would ask if he wanted some ice cream afterward. 

“Yeonjun, they’re just a friend from a class,” Seungmin still tries to convince Yeonjun even though he knows it's absolutely fruitless. It’s clear as day that who he wants to see is not just a friend in his eyes from his obvious reactions. 

“Just a friend my ass! If it was ‘just a friend,'” Yeonjun drops Seungmin’s hand to do animated finger quotes and an exaggerated eye roll, “you would have told us!”

“I, I don't know.” At this point, Seungmin isn't really sure why he's still trying, but he has just a bit of nerve to continue. 

“Let's see who could it be?” Yeonjun turns just a bit, one of his hands going to his hip and the other hand going up to tap on his chin in the perfect I Am Thinking pose. “It can't be Felix, maybe is it Jeongin?” 

“What?” Seungmin blurts. Now he has heard it all. “I don't like Jeongin, plus he has a boyfriend-”

“So you do _like-like_ this person,” Yeonjun looks over at Seungmin, his I Am Thinking pose forgotten, replaced with his signature sly smirk. The little demon.

“Wait, no,” Seungmin facepalms, the sound of his palm smacking his face able to be heard over Yeonjun's _evil_ laughter. 

“Okay then,” Yeonjun stops laughing enough to keep guessing, but Seungmin can still hear his laughter on the tip of his tongue. “Maybe it's, or maybe, wait,” Yeonjun stops, looking over at Seungmin with wide eyes, “oh my god, is it Soobin?”

“Seungmin!” Soobin shrieks from where he's laying on the couch that Yeonjun and Seungmin have abandoned. “You like me?” Soobin gapes up at Seungmin like he actually believes what Yeonjun said. Seungmin facepalms _again_. 

“No! It's not Soobin!” Seungmin grumbles into his palm, though loud enough so his friends could hear over the pounding music. The song recently changed to some loud heavy bass song and it was honestly going to start hurting his head soon. He didn't mind songs like this, but when it was playing so loud he could feel the vibrations in his head, it became a little too much. 

“Seungmin, I can't believe you like me!” Soobin shrieks again and Seungmin can feel grey hairs. 

“Why would I leave if it was you, Soobin?” Seungmin huffs at his friend, bringing his head up from his palm to look at Soobin. When Seungmin looks over at the laying boy, he wants to bury his head in his hands again and scream. Soobin was grinning, clearly just picking on Seungmin just like Yeonjun was. 

That's when Seungmin realizes Yeonjun had been awfully quiet while he was talking to Soobin. He looks over at his unusually quiet friend apprehensively. Yeonjun was grinning at him, though it looked more like a smirk with just how much mischief was dripping off him. 

“It's Hyunjin, isn't it?” Yeonjun says with complete confidence and clarity. Seungmin blanches. 

“What?” Seungmin asks, feeling the color drain from his face.

“I knew it!” Yeonjun cheers, throwing his hands up dramatically. “Felix told me how you two were together outside when he was looking for you!” Yeonjun all but runs at Seungmin, starting to very enthusiastically bounce around, overjoyed with the fact that he had guessed correctly. Seungmin can’t even stay upset about being found out seeing Yeonjun so happy at guessing right.

“He told you?” Seungmin groans, giving up on trying to hide his fascination, or whatever it was, with Hyunjin. 

“Wait,” Yeonjun stops jumping, fixing Seungmin with an owl-like stare. “Don't tell me you were the guy who told him to his face that his party sucked.”

“He talks about me?” Seungmin looks at Yeonjun in shock, rerunning his words in his head, trying to see if he actually heard him right. He’s long gotten over the embarrassment from that night, now he only cares that _Hyunjin talked about him._

“That was you!” Yeonjun barks out, erupting in laughter to the point he has to clutch his stomach. Seungmin just pouts. 

“I didn't know it was him at the time!” Seungmin whines, looking at Yeonjun desperately. 

“Oh my god, he couldn't stop talking about you during rehearsals one day, kept saying how cute it was when you kept insulting his party to his face, oh my god,” Yeonjun was doubling over with his laughter at this point, having to take pauses between his words from his intense laughter. Though Seungmin couldn't stop thinking about it, _he couldn't stop talking about you_. Then he registers the _how cute_ and his cheeks hurt at how big he’s smiling.

“Wait, Seungmin you what,” It was Soobins turn to start laughing at what Seugngmin had done. Soobin begins laughing with Yeonjun, their combined laughter drawing attention to them. Seungmin was starting to feel shy at the attention. 

“I didn't know it was him, okay!” Seungmin whines, throwing his arms up in the air exasperatedly. 

“He kept calling you wires! Now I can see why,” Yeonjun laughs, pointing right at Seungmin’s face and his circular-shaped silver wire-framed glasses. Seungmin just blushes _more_. 

“You are awful,” Seungmin whines again, feeling the urge to stomp his foot like a toddler. 

“Okay, okay,” Yeonjun wipes fake tears from around his eyes. “I’m done teasing,” Yeonjun says but continues to let out a few giggles. 

Seungmin looks shyly at Yeonjun, a question on the tip of his tongue. Yeonjun notices, and that same sly, almost fox-like, smirk returns to his face. At this moment, Seungmin realizes just how similar he looks to Jeongin. 

“You want to know how much he talks about you, don't you?” Yeonjun asks slyly, his eyes narrowing almost diabolically. 

“Please,” Seungmin says weakly, “very much so, please tell me everything.” Seungmin gives up and _begs_.

Yeonjun breaks out into laughter, _again_.

“Oh my god,” Seungmin bemoans, reaching up to run a hand aggressively through his hair, effectively ruining Felix’s extensive work from earlier. His freckled friend had spent way too long ruffling up his naturally wavy hair until it looked “effortlessly messy” as Felix had excitedly claimed. 

“My little Minnie has a crush!” Yeonjun reaches over and pinches at Seungmin’s cheek, cooing as the younger swats his hand away, glaring.

“Junnie, stop teasing him,” Soobin tuts, finally sitting up on the couch and giving Yeonjun a _drop it_ look. 

Yeonjuns eyes go comically wide (just like they did the first night they met when Felix had mentioned Soobin), immediately dropping Seungmin’s cheek from between his pinched fingers and nodding curtly at the other boy still lounging on the couch. Seungmin has half a mind to call out on Yeonjun being whipped but holds himself back. He knows neither Yeonjun nor Soobin are ready to admit their feelings for each other. 

“You know,” Yeonjun looks away from Soobin, his sly smile back to being directed at Seungmin. “Hyunjin might not stay long, he's been a hound in the practice rooms preparing for the recital, so you better go find your _loverboy_ now,” Yeonjun winks at Seungmin, grinning cockily. 

“I, I don't even know where he could be now,” Seungmin stutters, having given up on trying to hide his feelings for Hyunjin. 

“Well! Go search for him!” Soobin stands up and places his hands on Seungmins shoulders, beginning to maneuver him through the living room and past the countless gyrating bodies. 

“You may have to search a bit, it's quite a big house,” Yeonjun supplies, walking beside the two with his seemingly permanent sly grin. 

“Wait, are we sure about this?” Seungmin panics, the fact that he had a chance to actually talk to Hyunjin becoming painfully aware to him. 

“Of course we are!” Soobin starts pushing a little harder, and finally, they reach the hallway that leads to the rest of the house. It was a pretty strange setup, a deep hallway that led to the kitchen with doors on each side leading off to separate rooms. 

“Just flash your pretty smile, Minnie, maybe blush a little too, Hyunjin likes that,” Yeonjun laughs and slaps Seungmin's ass in farewell.

“Ack!” Seungmin shrieks, his shriek rivaling one of Felix's, and glares at his blue-haired friend. 

With the final push from Yeonjun, Seungmin is standing alone in the hallway. 

“Good luck,” Yeonjun calls over his shoulder, disappearing into the crowd of people in the living room with Soobin, and Seungmin immediately thinks, _alone time together will do them good, maybe then one of them will finally make a move_. Suddenly someone pushes past him, and he's ripped out of his thoughts, remembering what his friends had just sent him to do. 

His heart thrums against his rib cage at the mere thought of talking to Hyunjin. He was terrified. But it wasn't the type of fear that sent cold sweat dripping down his neck, like when he watched horror movies with Jeongin and Felix. This fear was different. It was more nervous, his fingers jittery and causing his tongue to keep darting past his dry lips to wet them. It was also that type of fear that he felt when he played baseball in high school, that fear that laid under his skin when he was on the mound. The fear that drove him to work his hardest and to throw the perfect pitch. The type of fear he felt when Karasuno was playing Shiratorizawa and at game point, all the pressure on their next play. It wasn't completely unwelcome, but it sure did send his nerves alight. 

There was also the anticipation, knowing that he finally had the chance to talk to Hyunjin after daydreaming of their possible conversations the past month. He had only talked to Hyunjin once before, but he was already in so so deep. 

That anticipation drove him to move forward. 

This was the first time he had visited this house, so he wasn't sure where anything was. It was also farther off campus, causing Felix, Jeongin, and Seungmin to call an uber- and they'll have to call an uber afterward as well. It was also smaller, so he had a better chance of finding Hyunjin. Hopefully. 

Like all the parties he had been to in the past month, the partygoers used the entire house as their dance floor. Seungmin pushes past people in the hallway, peeking his head into all the open doors along the hallway, hoping to spot a certain blond highlighted boy. When he finally reaches the kitchen, he's not disappointed with the selection of food like he normally is at parties. There's a bowl of fruit with little toothpicks on the side, and Seungmin is grateful for someone putting the consideration to do that. He pauses his search to stuff some watermelon into his awaiting mouth. 

“Have you seen Hyunjin?” A voice suddenly invades his ears as he’s mid stuffing a sliced strawberry into his mouth. Seungmin decides to not comment on the fact he was able to pinpoint Hyunjin's name in the loud and crowded kitchen.

“He said he was going out for a breather,” another voice says and Seungmin looks over, seeing two boys talking. He realizes suddenly he recognizes one as the short boy Felix had been dancing with that one day. Seungmin had seen him with Felix a couple of times since. He tried asking Felix about him but every time all he got was a shy smile and blushing cheeks from his roommate.

“Do you think someone is smoking?” The taller of the two asks, the one with surprisingly chubby cheeks. They look a little familiar too, but Seungmin can't place a name or memory to them. 

“Most likely,” the shorter boy says, and Seungmin stuffs one last piece of fruit in his mouth (this time a slice of melon). “You know how he's sensitive to smells,” Seungmin catches the last of what he says as he starts making his way to the kitchen exit. He had to find the back door of the house. Maybe this house had a swing set too. 

“I’m going to get Chan to kick whoever's smoking out, I swear who just smokes in someone's house,” Seungmin hears one last time before he sneaks past some people blocking the entrance to the kitchen. 

Seungmin absent-mindedly pokes at his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose and sets off in the direction of the hallway he hadn't been down. It had ended with a vintage table with a pretty assortment of flowers in a delicate-looking vase, and one end of the split hallway led to the kitchen and the other led to another hallway. Seungmin set off on the hallway he hadn't been to yet. 

Seungmin is only a couple steps down the hallways when his eyes catch something, and a soft gasp escapes his parted lips. Seungmin finally found the backdoor, it's a sliding door like most houses, and just outside is _Hyunjin_. 

Hyunjin is standing outside, just before the deck that led to the pool deeper into the yard. His head was tilted back, looking up at the grandiose moon high in the sky. Seungmin gulps, his tongue darting out to lick his quickly drying lips. All at once, the tension that had been building up in his body since he first saw Hyunjin completely disappear dissipates. He feels light on his feet again, his chest no longer burdened with his thundering heart, and then realizes he's also _happy_. Happy that he can finally see Hyunjin again. Finally having the chance to talk to him outside of his daydreams. This was _real_.

With the newfound confidence from his happiness, Seungmin slides the door open. 

Hyunjin is close enough to the house to hear the slide of the door, he turns slightly, looking surprised at the sudden sound. Then his eyes meet Seungmin, and they gleam _,_ bright with a thousand stars. A beaming smile slides onto his lips and Seungmin is briefly taken back. It's almost just like the night they met, just their roles are reversed, and Hyunjin is no longer ‘the stranger’. Now it's Hyunjin, the boy he's been dying to meet again for the past month. The boy who he has dreamed of meeting again. 

“So,” Seunmgin grins, deciding to take a page out of Yeonjun’s book and be sly. “Whatcha doing out here?” Seungmin asks, just like Hyunjin did the day they met, and walks out of the house, closing the door behind him. 

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin turns fully towards Seungmin, a bright blinding smile on his full pretty lips. The way he says Seungmin's name sends shivers down his spine. He likes the way Hyunjin says it. “I was just about to go look for you,” Hyunjin steps forward with his long legs, meeting Seungmin halfway. 

Last time, they had never stood beside each other, so Seungmin never realized that Hyunjin was just a bit taller than him. It made him want to stand on his tiptoes to meet Hyunjin's eyes. It seems Hyunjin notices their height difference as well, as his mouth quirks up just a bit more on one side. It makes Seungmin's heart escalate once more in his chest. 

“You were going to look for me?” Seungmin asks, shocked. 

“Mhm,” Hyunjin hums, the sound vibrating in his chest. “I asked Felix if you were coming.”

Seungmin blinks at Hyunjin, stunned, and stutters, “you, you asked Felix if I was coming?”

“Yeah, I wanted to see your cute nose again,” Hyunjin grins, leaning in just enough to be in Seungmin’s space and bringing a finger up to boop his nose softly. Seungmin’s cheeks explode in flames. “I also may have begged him to get you to come,” Hyunjin admits and for the first time, breaks eye contact and looks away shyly, the faintest hint of a rosy blush dusting his cheeks. 

Seungmin cheeks just get _hotter_. Hyunjin looks really pretty when he blushes. 

“I, um,” Hyunjin brings his plump bottom lip between his teeth and bites down on it delicately. “I really wanted to see you again,” Hyunjin confesses, nervously dragging his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“I really wanted to see you again too,” Seungmin says quickly, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering happily at Hyunjin’s confession.

They just stare at each other then, and Seungmin completely loses himself in the depth of Hyunjins eyes. He really wouldn't mind just staring into his irises for the rest of the night, trying to trace the tiny stars that resided in them. Then Hyunjin’s eyes dart to something just over Seungmin’s shoulder, his already bright eyes getting even brighter. 

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin points behind Seungmin, his smile blinding. “A swing set!”

Seungmin’s eyes go wide in excitement as he turns and spots the swingset. It’s not like the one from last time, this one has a slide attached to it. 

“Wait,” Hyunjin pouts. “It’s in the neighbor's yard.” 

Seungmin just grins. 

“Come on!” Seungmin giggles, grabbing Hyunjin’s hand and dragging the taller towards the swing set, not letting the fact that it was in the neighbor's yard hold him back.

“Okay okay, but Minnie, if we get in trouble I'm blaming you!” Hyunjin giggles with him, staying right at Seungmin’s side, his eyes turned up into pretty little crescents from his smile.

Seungmin’s heart squeezes at the nickname, and he looks down in hopes that Hyunjin won't see how red his ears are getting. Hyunjin squeezes his hand and Seungmin tries his best to ignore the positively trembling butterflies in his stomach from the action and pulls the blond highlighted boy into the neighbor's yard. 

They both giggle their way to the swingset, hand in hand, and stars in their eyes. They don't let go of each other's hands when they sit down on the swings. The chains squeak just like the first night they met, and Seungmin wiggles a little in his swing seat feeling giddy. 

“I watched that anime,” Hyunjin starts, kicking his feet out, sending both he and Seungmin swinging from their joined hands. “Haikyuu.”

Seungmin gasps, looking over at Hyunjin with wide and excited eyes. “You watched Haikyuu!?” 

Hyunjin laughs at Seungmin’s reaction, fondly squeezing his hand and nodding. “I was able to watch the first season between rehearsals and classes, I really liked it.” 

“Really?” Seungmin squeals and Hyunjin’s smile just gets bigger. “Do you have a favorite character?” 

“I liked Kenma,” Hyunjin laughs. “His hair kinda looks like mine,” Hyunjin reaches up and twirls one of his long blond highlighted strands between his fingers. 

“I never noticed before, it really does,” Seungmin leans forwards, bringing a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind Hyunjin’s ear. Seungmin’s thumb lightly brushes against Hyunjin's cheek and it catches Hyunjin's breath. Hyunjin stares at Seungmin the entire time, a light rosy blush on the apples of his cheeks like earlier. 

Seungmin can't bring himself to look away from Hyunjin. He’s just as beautiful as he was when they met. Shadows from the house lights dancing across his skin, along the smooth curve of his full lips and past the sharp edges of his cheekbones, accentuating the soft kindness of his eyes. Seungmin thinks again that it should be illegal how ethereal Hyunjin looks. 

Seungmin continues to stare at him, studying the expanse of his face to commit them to memory and falling deeper into the dark abyss of his starry eyes.

“Hey! Get out of my yard you damn hooligans!” A sharp voice of a middle-aged woman interrupts the intense stare they were sharing, and they both become suddenly aware of how close they had gotten and jolt away from each other. Then, they whip around to spot a woman shaking a broomstick at them from the porch of the neighbor’s house. 

Seungmin shrieks (Felix was really rubbing off on him) as Hyunjin quickly pulls them up yelling, “sorry ma'am!” at the woman before sprinting off back towards their original yard. The woman continues to yell, but Seungmin can only focus on the way Hyunjin laughs. It's bountiful against the otherwise quiet night, and Seungmin's chest blooms with a warm feeling. 

Their feet pound against the grass, the sound matching to the beat of his heart against his rib cage. He looks over at Hyunjin, seeing the big smile on his face and his hair blowing in the wind and thinks, _I have never felt this free_. 

Hyunjin ducks them behind the side of the original house they were at and away from the shouting woman, both of their breaths coming out harsh from laughing so much while running. 

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin wheezes between his laughter. “That was hilarious.” 

“She scared me!” Seungmin hiccups through his own laughter, feeling a little shy when he remembers how he had been entrapped in Hyunjins gaze before they were interrupted and how close they had been. 

“I'm just glad she didn't chase after us more with that broom,” Hyunjin snickers. Seungmin lets out a loud laugh, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes together, clutching his stomach from the impact of his laughter. 

Slowly, Seungmin opens his eyes, feeling the soft breeze on the night air tickle his skin and ruffle through his shirt. It was cold for a summer night, but it felt absolutely lovely. Seungmin parts his lips in amazement as he looks up at the sparkling sky, being able to see just the faintest lines of the milky way. 

“Look,” Seungmin says almost breathlessly, and slowly slips his fingers from Hyunjin's grasp just to thread his fingers between Hyunjin's, holding his hand tighter. Seungmin’s heart beats faster at the feeling of their fingers intertwined together and the press of Hyunjin's palm on his own. Hyunjin glances at Seungmin once, his eyes shining, before tilting his bed back to revel at the sky.

“Whoa,” Hyunjin breathes out, his fringe falling back as he tilts his head up. Seungmin smiles when he hears Hyunjin take a quick breath, just as amazed as him. 

Seungmin then bites his lip, looking down and gazing back at Hyunjin. “Come here,” Seungmin says, barely above a whisper, and pulls Hyunjin with him. Seungmin walks slowly, looking back and locking eyes with Hyunjin. Seungmin is almost taken back at the look in Hyunjin's eyes, it leaves him more breathless than before. Though he can't find it within himself to complain.

Pulling Hyunjin along with him, Seungmin leads them past the house, through the front yard until they both take a step onto the concrete of the street.

Seungmin pulls Hyunjin closer. “Look,” Seungmin whispers into their own little space. 

They were standing in the middle of the street now, the streetlights around them illuminating all the cars and houses around them. Though, the streetlights didn’t stop the stars above their head from shining with all their glory down on them. 

Seungmin tilts his head back again. 

Now that they were away from the houses and the trees in the backyards no longer hid their view, Seungmin could see the full regal moon. It was just as big and beautiful as the night they first met. Watching over them with all its brilliance. Seungmin briefly thinks _the stars have never shone this brightly before for me, maybe they’re trying to tell me something_. 

He casts a glance over to Hyunjin, who still has his eyes on the sky, his face covered in awe. Seungmin, just like before, is suddenly pulled to a month ago when he first met Hyunjin, how the light from the moon cast shadows that danced across the curves of his face. How he was so shocked by Hyunjin's beauty that he could barely form a thought. Now, the shadows like before were dancing along the features of Hyunjin's face, and the moon was glowing across his tan skin. 

“They’re beautiful,” Hyunjin whispers, so quiet that Seungmin was afraid if he hadn't been focusing so much on Hyunjin he would have never heard him.

He’s almost tempted to be like all those cheesy films and say, “yeah, it really is,” while he gazes wistfully at Hyunjin, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks back up at the sky, and traces his eyes across all the stars visible to his eye, trying to find where their constellations begin and end. 

“It’s gorgeous,” Seungmin smiles, finding constellations he recognizes. He can see the sharp edges of Cygnus stars, and the elegance of Aquila and Lyra. He so terribly wants to reach out and touch the stars, and it almost seems possible with Hyunjin beside him.

“So are you,” Hyunjin says, breaking Seungmin out of his stargazing to whip his head over to the other boy, his eyes wide. Hyunjin was looking at him, a dazed sort of look in his eyes and a lopsided awe-inspiring smile on his full lips. 

Seungmin can't help but laugh at the cheesiness, but that doesn’t stop the raging blush from dancing across his cheeks. Spurred on by what Hyunjin says, Seungmin gets the urge to be closer to Hyunjin, so he listens to the pounding of his heart.

“Not as gorgeous as you,” Seungmin grins, taking a step closer to Hyunjin and grins wider when he sees the latter's eyes go wide at his boldness. 

“I, I would beg to differ,” Hyunjin stutters, sounding out of breath at Seungmins newfound closeness, their chests almost touching. 

“You know,” Seungmin starts, and daringly throws an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders, pulling their bodies together. Seungmin doesn't know where this confidence comes from, or how he's being so daring, but he thinks it has to do something with how Hyunjin looks at him and how he can feel the moon watching over him. 

“Hm,” Hyunjin hums, his gaze darting down to Seungmin’s lips for a fraction of a second, so fast it was barely noticeable. 

“Earlier you never answered me when I asked what you were doing outside,” Seungmin says, leaning so close that their noses press together for a second before leaning back to look in Hyunjin's eyes.

Hyunjin laughs, tilting his head to laugh out at the sky. Seungmin watches in awe as Hyunjin smiles a smile as brilliant as the stars overhead before saying, “I was hoping to find you.” 

“I like the sound of that,” Seungmin beams, slightly biting his lip when both of Hyunjin’s arms snake around his waist and pull him impossibly closer. 

“I was hoping maybe if I concentrated on the stars enough, I could make you appear before my eyes.” Hyunjin cracks his own grin.

“Well, it certainly worked,” Seungmin licks his lips, catching Hyunjin's eyes darting down to the action as he does so. 

“You’re a star yourself.” Hyunjin brings one of his hands up and lightly brushes his thumb across the apple of Seungmins cheek. It sends goosebumps over Seungmin's skin. “I couldn't stop thinking about you,” Hyunjin continues, catching Seungmin’s breath. 

“Neither could I,” Seungmin brings his free hand up to grip Hyunjin’s arm, desire on the back of his mind. 

“Seungmin,” Hyunjin licks his lips, gaze unabashedly staring at Seungmin’s own. “Can I kiss you?”

Seungmin’s heart pounds against his rib cage, so hard that he's almost afraid it'll break bones. His skin feels like it's on fire from where Hyunjin is touching him, and he's almost lightheaded from being so close to the taller. So Seungmin doesn't have to think twice before he's surging forward and pressing his lips against Hyunjin’s. 

At the press of his lips, Hyunjin is pulling him closer, his palm now pressed against Seungmin’s cheek, pulling their faces together. They pull apart panting even though it was just the press of their lips, completely breathless from each other. 

Neither need to be told twice, before they are surging together once more. 

It’s not like what Seungmin is used to reading. It's oh, so much more. Maybe it's because of the stars shining down on them, or maybe the light chill in the air, or maybe it's because it's _Hyunjin_. Seungmin doesn't know or really care, just gives where Hyunjin takes and takes where Hyunjin gives. It's like a game of tug-of-war, both just trying to get the most of each other. And Seungmin gives Hyunjin his all. 

Hyunjin runs his hand up Seungmin's arm and pulls at his bottom lip when Seungmin shudders under his touch. Seungmin gives into the kiss, letting Hyunjin lead them until they're panting against each other's lips, gasping in the much-needed oxygen their lungs crave. 

“I like you,” Hyunjin pants against Seungmins lips as they pull apart, “a lot.” 

“Really?” Seungmin presses his lips against Hyunjin quickly, craving the feel of his lips once more. “I never would have guessed.” 

Hyunjin rolls his eyes fondly and leans in to press a delicate kiss to Seungmin's lips, neither able to get enough of the other.

“Hyunjin, I like you too, a lot,” Seungmin grins and Hyunjin leans back in and peppers kisses against Seungmins cheeks. Seungmin can feel how big Hyunjins smile is against his cheeks.

“You’re going to the recital this weekend, right?” Hyunjin asks, his breathing coming out labored. 

“Yeah, my friends are going to be in it.” Seungmin breathes out, trying to make things out with his kiss muddled brain, his eyes locked on Hyunjin’s kiss swollen lips. He wanted to kiss Hyunjin again.

“Can I take you out afterward?” Hyunjin asks, running a hand through Seungmin’s hair and the latter leans into the touch, closing his eyes at the feeling.

“Like a date?” Seungmin smiles giddily. 

“Yeah, a date,” Hyunjin matches Seungmin's smile. “Definitely a date.” 

Seungmin beams. “I would love that.” 

And then, Seungmin and Hyunjin kiss each other senseless under the stars for the remainder of the night. Hyunjin holds Seungmin's hand and whispers against the flesh of his cheek, and Seungmin preens, giggling and burying his head into Hyunjin’s shoulder. The next day, Seungmin has to hide a purple bruise on his neck from his roommates. Hyunjin just shows off his matching bruise. 

Seungmin is used to losing himself in the pages of books, he never planned to lose himself in the depth of Hyunjins eyes. But he's here, in their own little fairytale, and he would never want to be anywhere else.

**Author's Note:**

> i really hope you enjoyed! i thrive off of attention so please give it to me
> 
> alsooo here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/sapphicseung) <3 in case you wanna follow for hints to future fics or to be friends :3


End file.
